Snowflake Monday

Today's snowflake pattern is inspired by the final snowflake rock covering I made for my sister-in-law last spring. (There's still a purple snowflake rock, but I've already written the pattern, and the purple rock was the first colored snowflake rock I put in my garden.)


The blue snowflake rock completes the rainbow circle of rocks I've been crafting to replace hail-damaged snowflake rocks in my garden. (Although there is space for one more, and Pinktober is just around the corner…) Right now, the rainbow is wrapped around one of my spent day lilies. We plan to redo the garden this fall, after all the holdout sunflowers are gone, because the entire garden has become a jungle over the last seven years. I'm hoping to scale it back to a beautifully manicured garden again for next spring.

The only things I know for sure I'm going to keep are the rocks, covered in crochet or not, the dark blue delphiniums, the spiderwort, the grape hyacinths and the hyacinths. I may get brave and pull the rainbow of rocks out closer the sidewalk as I redesign, but for now, they are tucked comfortably close to the house where sticky fingers hopefully don't attempt to reach.


2016


2019
I worked up the pattern for today's snowflake aboard the commuter train, from a photo on my phone, while holding my bike, after riding to the park and ride for the first time since September 21 last year. Life has taken some huge unexpected detours in the last year, but Lizard and I are sort of considering that first bicycle commute as the first day of the rest of our lives. We're hoping recent developments and experiences will help us soon return back to life as we knew it a couple of years ago.

So even though I gave this snowflake another Tanager number (because how could I resist after that cute shot above?!?), its completion and the rainbow rocks in my garden symbolize rebirth, new beginnings and enough hope to carry us to the moon and back.


You might also enjoy knowing we started putting orange slices out for the tanagers again last month, hoping they would stop by on their way south, but I read a couple of weeks ago that the tanagers had already made their way to Bosque del Apache and were stopping there to refuel before the next leg of their long journey away from winter. Neighborhood squirrels didn't mind.

You can darn sure bet we'll have plenty more oranges next year, and that I'll have my camera ready, and perhaps even a few more colorful snowflake rocks strategically placed in time for the spring return of colorful birds to my garden.


Also, I just received notification over the weekend that Pedaling 4 Parkinson's reached its 2019 goal of $100,000 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. I feel like we crocheters contributed to the final push because one of you donated generously on Saturday!!! We raised a total of $1,423 for the Michael J. Fox Foundation and $467 for the Davis Phinney Foundation (so far) this year toward the battle against Parkinson's!!! Thank you to all of you for helping in this very important cause!

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!


Finished Size: 8 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, water soluble school glue or desired stiffener, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line


Tanager IV Snowflake Instructions

Make magic ring.

Round 1: 12 sc in ring; sl st in starting sc. Pull magic circle tight, but leave opening big enough to allow stitches inside it to lay flat.

Round 2: Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc and ch 3), [sk next sc, 1 dc in next sc, ch 3] 5 times, omitting last 2 ch of final repeat; 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 5 to form 6th ch 3 sp of Round.

Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of dc directly below, [in next ch 3 sp work (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc)] 5 times; 3 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 6th ch 3 tip of Round.
If you're not reading this pattern on Snowcatcher, you're not reading the designer's blog. Please go here to see the original.

Round 4: Ch 5 (counts as 1 dc and ch 3), 1 dc over post of dc directly below, [in next ch 3 tip work (1 dc, ch 3) 3 times, 1 dc in same tip] 5 times; in next ch 3 tip work (1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc, ch 1), 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 5 to form 6th ch 3 tip (and 18th ch 3 sp) of Round.
NOTE: Binding off here makes a cute little snowflake. Just make sure to count your stitches better than I did. I guess I need to give my parents another 7-pointed snowflake for their 51st anniversary next month...


Round 5: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of dc directly below, ch 3, 3 dc in same sp, [3 dc in each of next 2 ch 3 sp, in next ch 3 sp work (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc)] 5 times; 3 dc in each of next 2 ch 3 sp, 3 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 12th ch 3 tip of Round.

Round 6: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), [in next ch 3 sp work (1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc), ch 5, sk next 6 dc, 1 sc in gap between 3/dc groups, ch 5, 1 sc in same gap, ch 5, in next ch 3 sp work (1 dc, ch 3, 1 dc)] 6 times, omitting last dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2 to form 12th ch 3 sp of Round.

Round 7: Sl st into next ch 3 sp, ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), [1 dc in same ch 3 sp, 2 hdc in same sp, 1 sc in same sp, in next ch 5 sp work (2 sc, 2 hdc, 2 dc), in next ch 5 sp work (2 dc, 2 hdc, 2 sc), in next ch 3 sp work (2 sc, 2 hdc, 2 dc), ch 7, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 4 ch (ch 5 branch made), ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 3 ch (ch 4 branch made), ch 5, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 2 ch (ch 3 branch made), ch 10, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, 1 hdc in next ch, 1 dc in each of next 3 ch, 1 hdc in next ch, sl st in each of next 3 ch (spoke tip made), ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 2 ch, sl st in joint between ch 3 branch and ch 4 branch on opposite side of spoke, ch 5, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 3 ch, sl st in joint between ch 4 branch and ch 5 branch on opposite side of spoke, ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 4 ch, sl st in next ch (at base of spoke), in next ch 3 sp work 1 dc] 6 times, omitting last dc of final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

If using glue, mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture or desired stiffener. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch the snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

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